Christmas!

This year has really been a long one, yet it seems to have flown by and Christmas is already over! I hope you all had a lovely time with your families and friends!

Merry Christmas from me!

I realise and truly appreciate that Christmas isn't about presents. I watched Fabulous Hannah's video (here) on the true meaning of Christmas and it explains exactly how I feel. Yes, I love getting presents (lets be honest, who doesn't?!) there is nothing like opening a present knowing someone actually took time and put effort into thinking about what you like. But I feel even better when I've spent a day with my family, helping each other, reminiscing and not arguing. In my family we're all very headstrong and if we're unhappy or annoyed you'll know about it because the house is likely to sound like World War 3. But Christmas and Birthdays are an exception when even my brother and I get on, even if it is just for a day! Christmas especially is a time that we all really try to be nice to each other. 

That being said, I am going to show you a few of my favourite presents because I love watching the 'What I got for Christmas' videos from Tanya, Fleur de Force and Zoe & Louise each year but I'm not yet confident to make a video!

One of the first presents I opened was a beautiful statement necklace from my grandad. It is possibly one of the most beautiful pieces of jewellery I've seen and it is definitely the nicest piece I own. I'm currently hunting through the sales for a black jumpsuit that I can wear with it! 

The picture doesn't do the colours justice! 

As mentioned in my November favourites post I'm a little bit in love with Jessie Ware so when I unwrapped her album I genuinely gasped. All of the tracks have something special about them, I highly recommend her album! I also got the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge album which features my favourite covers and acoustic versions of this year:

1. Ed Sheeran - Stay with Me
2. Haim - XO
3. Bastille - We Can't Stop
4. Tom Odell - Roar
5. 5 Seconds of Summer - Amnesia

These two albums are definitely going to be on repeat in my car!

I've needed new a new hairdryer for months and months now and I finally got one! It's the Babyliss Elegance 2100 Dryer and while I'm yet to use it after a shower I did use it to dry my damp hair from running in the rain on Boxing Day and it is very powerful! I was also lucky enough to get these amazing Hair2Day hair straighteners from my parents which are especially designed for long, thick hair so they are perfect for me! They moisturise and shine my hair whilst leaving it poker straight! I'm in love with them already!

Ever since Zoe (Zoella) announced her book 'Girl Online' I've been dying to read it. And now I can say I have. I spent the whole of Boxing day morning in bed, reading it because I was dying to know what was going to happen to Penny and who Noah really was! I'll be honest and say it was a very easy read but I enjoyed it nonetheless! With it I received Tanya Burr's Midnight Sparkles nail polish. It was very easy to apply and only needed one coat to achieve good coverage. It is a very dark shade with bits of sparkle in it but I do wish the sparkle was a little more prominent. 

Finally, it wouldn't be Christmas if I didn't get something One Direction related. I'd already received the calendar for 2015 from the Secret Santa we did in the rowing club but in my stocking I found pens and bookmarks (which I actually really needed even though I didn't know it!). My brother got me the 'Who We Are' book which I'm excited to read (and admire the endless photos of Harry) and the 'Where We Are tour DVD' which I will definitely be watching in the next few days to reminisce over Wembley (it seems like so long ago which makes me very sad). 

My 'main' present from my parents was money as they know that's what I need the most but it was the final present I opened and to disguise it they put a cheque in an envelope and attached it to a box of One Direction tissues (they literally have everything don't they!). Upon seeing the tissues I missed the envelope and I was so confused as to why they'd told me to open it last but I quickly saw the envelope and squealed (not dissimilar to a pig) when I saw what it actually was. Turns out I also needed the tissues too, especially as I've now got the Fault in Our Stars DVD to watch!

Overall it was a lovely day and I didn't go to bed until 2am! TV is normally really exciting but the only shows I watched were Miranda which I thought was hilarious but also so sad, and Call the Midwife which I absolutely LOVED! It was lovely to actually spend time as a family downstairs because it's normally my brother in his room, me in mine and our parents downstairs but watching separate programmes on each of the TVs. Technology is great but it really does split up the family :(

Anyway, I hope you all had a lovely day!

Much Love

Charlotte

XO

  

Keeping it Brief / 4

So, it's finally Christmas Eve but I've still got a little post for you! 

Making 
Lily Pebbles' Brookies

Cooking

Basil and Mozzarella Tortellini 

Drinking 

Mulled Wine

Reading

Rowing and Regatta Magazine

Wanting 

A happy Christmas

Looking 

For inspiration

Playing 

Olly Murs- Up ft Demi Lovato

Deciding 

If I've got what it takes

Wishing 

My predicted grades were good enough for UCL :(

Enjoying 

Not being at school

Waiting

For my birthday

Liking

Old songs with memories

Loving 

My eyebrows

Pondering 

On what to wear

Watching 

Sprinkle of Chatter and Colleen Ballinger's Vlogmas'

Hoping

I'll get more uni offers

Needing

More sleep

Wearing

PJ's and gym kit

Noticing 

How much I'm having to grow up and how much I don't like it

Knowing 

I need to work harder 

Thinking 

About how much I love and miss London

Feeling

Homesick for London 

Admiring

Harry Styles beautiful voice/face

Sorting 

Out my room 

Buying 

Nothing because I'm waiting for the sales

Bookmarking 

One Direction videos I need to watch

Disliking 

rude/racist/sexist people

Opening  

Presents tomorrow

Giggling

With my friends

I have cut a few of them out purely because I couldn't think of some!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Much Love

Charlotte

XO

Dear Thirty Year Old Me

Dear thirty year old me, 

Well, 17 year old me isn't really sure where to begin....

I feel like I should start from where I am heading soon...university. I don't feel old enough to be going to university, it feels like only last week I was starting secondary school. Anyway, I hope university, wherever you ended up, was amazing. I hope you made the most of it, making new friends, rowing (of course) and gained so much experience from it. Knowing you it took you a while to settle in and feel comfortable in new surroundings with strangers but I'm sure you took it all in your stride. I'm sure there are moments that you'd rather forget ever happened but I know there are hundreds that you'd love to relive.

I don't know what you did after uni, whether you decided to continue studying or you got a job but I hope you enjoyed it. Right now I have no idea what to do after university. I am fully aware of what I enjoy (and what I don't) but I have no clue about exactly what it is that I want to do. Don't worry though, I'm not panicking just yet! I really hope that you are happy in what ever you are doing now, a psychologist,  a rowing coach, a stay-at-home mum, anything. 

I guess I hope you've settled down by now. I know for many people a family isn't a priority but for me it always has been. I really really hope he treats you well whoever he is, I hope he treats you how you deserve and spoils you. Perhaps you even have children by now? I know you'll be a good mum. If you don't, there's no need to worry, everything happens when it is meant to.

One thing I do hope is that you haven't stopped is rowing, Lets be honest, we were never really that good at sport! But finding rowing was possibly the best thing that has happened to us so far, it is one of the things that keeps me going, when school is stressful I'll just sweat it out. I don't blame you if you've reduced the intensity of training but I'm sure you're still keeping active, even if it is because it allows you to eat all the chocolate (you have ALWAYS had a sweet tooth!). 

On the topic of rowing, you must have stayed in contact with some of the rowers at least? They are a second family to me and (so far) they are probably some of the best people I have met. You mustn't have forgotten some of your school friends though, they've been with you through thick and thin. I realise you will have many new friends, but please keep in touch with the old ones! If you haven't do it now. Message them on Facebook, or whatever new social network there is! It is always good to reminisce. 

To say that I love One Direction right now is probably an understatement and as much as I really hope that they're still together, who knows what happens in 13 years? If they are I'm sure you still love them and I'm sure you'll still be getting teased about it to this day! But who cares right? I can only wonder what Harry's hair looks like, or how many new tattoos they all have and what their new music is like! 

I guess the main point of this letter, thirty year old me, is that I hope you're happy. A lot of people have told you to stand up for yourself more because you just accept what people have to say too often. Don't let people get the better of you because YOU are the most important person. If you're not happy I know there are people who surround you, friends and family, who love you dearly. Including me. 

Much Love

Charlotte

XO

*This is a very different post and it took a very long time to write. Please give me some feedback in the comments because I'd love to know what you all think!